Only God Has The Power To Heal

The
day after Christmas 2004, the most destructive tsunami ever recorded
occurred after a magnitude 9.1 underwater earthquake struck off the
coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Within fifteen minutes, the tsunami,
measuring more than 100 feet, hit the west and north coasts of
northern Sumatra,
particularly devastating the heavily populated province of Aceh,
known as the front porch of Mecca (the area with the strictest form
of Islam).
Entire communities were swept away in a matter of minutes. The death
toll in Aceh was estimated at 150,000—half its population, with
an additional several thousand people left homeless.

Not
long after this, my husband and I were called to come help coordinate
disaster relief efforts in Aceh. Having served two years with the
Southern Baptist International Mission Board in Indonesia from
1999-2001, we were familiar with the culture and language. My husband
also had extensive experience coordinating disaster relief during our
two years in the field. We scraped together the money for plane
tickets, put our lives on hold, and headed to the other side of the
world.

One
of the immediate needs was medical help for the many refugees. With a
series of short term volunteers, make-shift medical clinics were set
up in mosques, refugee camps, and even by the side of the road. We
worked in the heat, chaos, and primitive conditions, trying to bring
a little bit of hope and healing to a group of people who had lost
everything. Word spread and soon we were asked to help in more remote
areas.

On
a Friday afternoon, our team journeyed deep into the jungle where
there was a heavy concentration of GAM insurgents. The GAM was a
separatist group seeking independence for Aceh from Indonesia. From
1976 to 2005, they fought against the Indonesian forces, with over
15,000 lives lost. We were a little uneasy, but trusted God had
called us to this area for a reason and He would protect us. We set
up our clinic in an open area in front of one of the government
buildings.

Our
team ministered to numerous people that afternoon. During the busy
clinic, many of our team members noticed a woman hovering on the
periphery of the crowd, holding a sick baby. But she didn’t ask
for help. Finally, when most of the people had gone and we were
packing up to leave, she approached us, her eyes downcast. The baby
in her arms was deathly ill. He was cyanotic (blue) and gasping for
breath.

Among
our team members that week were a pediatric emergency room nurse and
a respiratory therapist. After examining the baby, they begged the
mother to take him to the hospital, but she refused. Unfortunately,
many hospitals in third-world countries have questionable standards
of care. Patients’ families must pay for everything up front,
and unless a family member is continuously present, the patient may
not receive any care.

With
sinking hearts, realizing there was a good chance the baby would die,
our nurse administered an antibiotic injection. Amazingly, we
discovered one pediatric mask and one inhaler among our supplies. The
mother was shown how to use the inhaler and to perform coup age on
the baby to loosen up congestion in his lungs. Finally, because we
were finished for the day, the entire team had the opportunity to
surround the mother and child, lay hands on them, and pray for
healing in the name of Jesus. Our nurse and respiratory therapist
planned to check on the baby the next day, so we took a picture of
the mother and baby in order to find them again.

As
we made the hour drive back into town, we realized the reason the
mother had hung back until almost everyone else had gone was most
likely because she was afraid we were going to tell her there was no
hope for her child. The mood of our entire group was somber as we
feared the worst.

The
next day we received a phone call from our two ladies who had gone
back to check on the baby. “It’s a miracle!” they
shouted. They were so excited it was hard to get the details.
Finally, we learned they had taken the picture and gone through the
village in search of the mother and baby. The villagers led them to a
woman holding a smiling child.

“No,
this isn’t the same baby,” they argued.

The
people assured them it truly was the same child. It was nothing short
of a miraculous healing!

After
those ladies went back to the states, I journeyed out the village
several times to check on the baby. He was still on medication, but
his recovery was astounding. I often ponder on the “coincidence”
of having a respiratory therapist, an emergency room pediatric nurse,
and one pediatric respiratory mask and inhaler in that remote jungle
on that particular day. Coincidence? I think not. I believe God
knew exactly what was needed for that critically ill baby and He
provided. Although every healing is a miracle, whether it be cancer
or a common cold, there was absolutely no doubt God’s hand was
on this baby.

Our
group was known as IBI (International Board Indonesia). We were
nicknamed IB by the locals. Although there were several other secular
humanitarian groups working in Aceh, we were told there was no
healing until IB came.

“Doctors
and medicines are simply tools. Only God has the power to heal.”
This is what we emphasized with each clinic we held. As I handed out
medication and went over instructions, I prayed with each patient for
healing in the name of Jesus. If someone had told me a year before
that I would be standing in a mosque in the strictest Islamic area of
Indonesia praying in the name of Jesus, I would have laughed. It
shows how God can open doors in the most closed areas to receive His
Gospel—and He is still in the miracle business.

Ellen
Fannon, is a practicing veterinarian,
former missionary, and
church pianist/organist. She originated and wrote the Pet
Peeves
column for the Northwest Florida Daily News before taking a two-year
assignment with the Southern Baptist International Mission
Board. She and her husband have also been foster parents for more
than 40 children, and the adoptive parents of two sons. Her
first novel, Other People’s Children,
the humorous account of the life of a foster parent, was released
November 2017 and is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the
trunk of her car. She lives in Valparaiso with her
husband,
son, and assorted pets.